In early August, Dana White announced a number of high-profile fights that were included in the card for the upcoming UFC 308. The tournament will take place on October 26 in Abu Dhabi and, traditionally, many Russian-speaking fighters will perform in it.
The co-main event will feature former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev, who has clearly been in the up-and-coming category. This is the second attempt to organize a meeting of fighters in the octagon. Initially, they were supposed to headline the first UFC tournament, held in Saudi Arabia, but then Borz withdrew due to illness. Now this is no longer the main event of the event, but there will again be a five-round fight. Obviously, the UFC wants to test Chimaev in five rounds – he has never had so much experience.
In June, Whittaker fought Ikram Aliskerov instead of Chimaev and won by knockout in the first round. Moreover, it was Rob’s first early win since 2017. Immediately after this, of course, he was asked if he was ready to meet Khamzat. The Australian replied: “The idea sounds tempting, but it’s not what I want right now. We can settle accounts another time.”
In June, Whittaker brutally demolished Aliskerov:
Drama in Saudi Arabia! Whittaker knocked out Aliskerov in the first seconds of the fight.
A little later, Whittaker responded in more detail, but made it quite clear that he does not want to fight Chimaev next: “I compete at middleweight. If he also fights in the middleweight division, then why not? After all, he sometimes fights at welterweight. So if we are both at the top, our paths could cross. I didn’t shy away from that.”
Robert even laughed at Chimaev, who addressed his opponent on social media with the traditional phrase “see you soon”: “See you soon, where is this? You can’t enter any country. Where do you want to find me?”
Robert Whittaker
Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images
A little over a month goes by, and the guy who said he wants a title fight and is ready to secure the Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus du Plessis fight is taking on Chimaev, who is ranked 11th in the rankings (Whittaker is third). He also gives a very interesting explanation for this decision.
“Chimaev is a big fight. He’s a big star, especially in Abu Dhabi. He has everyone’s attention and I understand that the UFC wants him in the title fight, but I love to ruin their plans, which is why I took the fight. In fact, I asked for this fight myself. Right after my last fight, I asked to reschedule it, especially in October, in Abu Dhabi – the place and time suited me perfectly. After beating Chimaev, nothing will stand in my way of winning the championship that I’m going to get back. “I’ll come out in October, deal with him for a while or two and think about a title fight,” Whittaker said.
It’s clear that there’s probably still a lot at stake, which entices Robert no less than the chance to ruin UFC’s plans. But if the Australian really has championship ambitions, then such charity work is a very bad decision. You don’t have to look far to find examples.
While Chimaev is engaged in strange activities:
Instead of title holders in the UFC, there are training sessions with bloggers and participation in shows. What about Chimaev’s career?
Second-ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen recently did something similar. In the end, everyone knows how it all ended: the American was knocked out in five rounds and gave his place as a contender to Umar Nurmagomedov, and he himself will once again build up a winning streak to earn a title shot.
Not only is Whittaker once again facing a low-rated opponent, but Khamzat is stylistically awfully awkward for any fighter. You can blame Chimaev’s cardio all you want, but no one at middleweight follows such an aggressive fighting style. And that’s not to say Whittaker can’t translate. It’s possible, and Borz definitely will.
Even in the last fight, there were questions for Chimaev, but, firstly, he destroyed Kamaru Usman on the ground, which no one had ever managed, and secondly, he carried out takedowns even when he was tired. And in general, Khamzat transferred almost everyone to the pros, either to Brave CF or to the UFC. With Ikram Aliskerov it was not possible to do this, but their fighting is on a completely different level. Moreover, in the end Chimaev knocked him out.
This season, Brave CF broadcasts are available on OKKO.
It is not at all certain that Whittaker will be able to survive Khamzat’s onslaught in the early rounds. On paper it looks much easier than it actually is. Chimaev has an excellent grip, he will constantly threaten with painful chokes and locks, for this he has enough skills and strength. In the UFC, Whittaker was not submitted, but Khamzat has a good chance of doing so.
Also, as we saw with Sandhagen, the threat of takedowns greatly limits strikers. Corey was constantly thinking about this, reacting to feints, but still couldn’t keep up with Umar’s passes. Yes, I was able to defend myself on the ground largely due to the fact that Nurmagomedov was losing control, but he still spent a lot of energy. Chimaev will not lose control.
After Whittaker’s win over Aliskerov, his ratings skyrocketed, but this will be a fight of a completely different level of difficulty, and it’s quite possible that the decision to fight Khamzat was a huge mistake by Whittaker.
